September 16th - 17th, 2023 / Clearwater, FL

Physical Therapy: A Primary Care Profession
The Role of EMG & MSK Ultrasound Testing

10TH ANNUAL HODS SYMPOSIUM
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Ticket Pricing (General Admission)

Symp 2023 Tickets - general admission
$695

General Admission Ticket

2-Day Event (16-17 Sept. 2023) Includes:
Live Symposium with VIP Access
Awards Dinner
Exhibit Hall
Clinical Track Recording
Virtual Attendance (ZOOM)

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Early Bird Pricing Ends August 1, 2023!

Know the schedule

Agenda Timeline

All times are EST (Eastern Standard Time)

TimeTopics - Saturday 16th Sept, 2023Rooms
7:30 – 8:30REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST (provided)
Sandkey Sheraton Lobby
8:30 – 9:45Opening Ceremonies

Bay Room
9:45 – 10:30The Living Breathing Algorithm of Electrodiagnosis - Dr. Richard McKibben, PT, DSc, ECS


  • An algorithm for an evidence based rational approach to electrodiagnostic decision making and designing of the electrodiagnostic exam will be presented along with real case examples.

Bay Room
10:30 – 11:00BREAK (refreshments provided)Bay Room / Lobby
11:00 – 11:45The Challenging Case of Cervical Radiculopathy - Dr. Mark Brooks, PT, DSc, ECS, OCS


  • Unusual cases of cervical radiculopathy will be presented along with the electrodiagnostic evaluation in a systematic approach.

Bay Room
11:45 – 12:30Shoulder Weakness: Cervical Spinal Lesion or Brachial Plexopathy? - Dr. Nancy Mansell, PT, DPT, ECS, OCS, FAFS


  • Shoulder weakness can originate from rotator cuff tear, C5-6 spinal nerve lesion and/or brachial plexopathy. EDX has a strong role to differentiate which has implications for prognosis for shoulder surgeries as they can and identify the need for intervention for cervical spinal nerve lesions. Case study of second opinion EDX performed at the request of an orthopedic surgeon.

Bay Room
12:30 – 1:45LUNCH (on your own)
1:45 – 2:00HODS-TALKS: Muscle Matters - Dr. Christina Panetta, PT, Founder Panetta Physical TherapyBay Room
2:00 – 2:45Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in the Practice of Physical Therapy - Dr. Beth Carr, PT, DPT


  • Clinical evidence and research support the use of ultrasound as the first diagnostic test for numerous musculoskeletal conditions. This course will describe the techniques used by a Physical Therapist to perform a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, interpret those images and use them for clinical decision making leading to more effective and efficient decision making for a plan of care. There will case studies to explain how treatment can be adjusted based on findings from the MSKUS examination.

Bay Room
2:45 – 3:30Diagnosis and Treatment of Median Neuropathy at the Wrist with EMG and MSKUS - Dr. Jeff Courcier, PT, ECS, FMSK, Owner Courcier Clinic PT and Insight Diagnostics


  • Assessment of median neuropathy at the wrist with EMG and neuro MSKUS including fine points of severity grading and various findings on MSKUS. We will also discuss Rx options and briefly cover report writing

Bay Room
3:30 – 3:45BREAK (refreshments provided)Bay Room / Lobby
3:45 – 4:30Diagnosis and Successful Treatment of Cervical Radiculopathy Using EMG and Spinal Mobilization Techniques - Dr. Dan Neff, PT, DPT, Owner Neff Physical Therapy


  • Utilizing the most current evidence based data, discussion will focus on identifying cervical radiculopathy with NCS/EMG. Live demonstration will then be presented on how to successfully treat these difficult cases to resolution using spinal mobilization techniques.

Bay Room
4:30 – 5:15Critical Reasoning for Unilateral vs Bilateral MSKUS Imaging - Dr. Jonathan Goodman, DPT, FMSK, Cert DN


  • Discuss clinical practice guidelines and their role in imaging, the need for clinical practice guidelines to be established with MSKUS, and a series of cases with treatment modifications based on unilateral vs bilateral imaging.

Bay Room
5:15 – 6:15REFRESH BEFORE DINNER / GRADUATIONBay Room / Lobby
6:15 – 7:45DINNER / GRADUATIONPalm / Bay Room
7:45AFTER PARTY / AWARDSPalm / Bay Room
TimeTopics - Sunday 17th Sept, 2023Rooms
7:30 – 8:30BREAKFAST (provided) & Special Presentation by Neufit
Bay Room
8:30 – 9:15Polyneuropathy Study, Research Results and Clinical Applications - Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos, DPT, MD, PhD, DSc, ECS, Founder Hands-On Companies | Dr. Joe McGilvrey, PT, ECS, Owner Apex Physical Therapy | Garrett Salpeter, Founder NeuFitBay Room
9:15 – 10:30Differential Diagnosis of Brachial Plexus Lesions from more Proximal Pre-anglionioc Lesions and more Distal Peripheral Neuropathies - Dr. Richard Nielsen, Founding President/CEO Emeritus, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions & Noorda College of Osteopathic MedicineBay Room
10:30 – 10:45HODS-TALKS: Be On The Cutting Edge or Just Ride the Edge - Dr. Eddie St Clair, PT, DPT, Certified Hand Therapist, Owner West Park Rehab Physical Therapy


  • With shrinking reimbursement for most of rehab services, making ends meet requires embracing new techniques, skills and technology.

Bay Room
10:45 – 11:00BREAK (refreshments provided)Bay Room / Lobby
11:00 – 11:45Nerve Tracings with Neuro-MSK - Dr. Mohini Rawat, DPT, MS, ECS, OCS, RMSK, Director MSK Fellowship Program


  • A new billing code was created for neuro-MSK that includes tracing of the neural structures at various levels of their distribution along the arm or the leg. Dr. Rawat will discuss and demonstrate the most important locations for the tracing and identification of the most commonly used neural structures.

Bay Room
11:45 – 12:30Utilization of EDX for Shoulder Pathology in the PT Clinic - Dr. Bart McDonald, PT, MPT, ECS, FMSK, Owner Superior Physical Therapy


  • This presentation will look at shoulder pathologies that can appear as rotator cuff or shoulder girdle weakness but have underlying peripheral nerve pathology. Examples include Parsonage Turner Syndrome, axillary nerve injury post fracture or surgery, cervical radiculopathy, spinal accessory nerve injuries, suprascapular nerve entrapment, or brachial plexus injuries . Several case studies will be used to give examples of EDX utilization in the PT practice to successfully diagnose shoulder pain and weakness.

Bay Room
12:30 – 1:45LUNCH (on your own)
1:45 – 2:30Clinical Decision Making in EMG (A Collaborative Case Study) - Dr. Korry Wheeler, PT, DPT, ECS


  • This is a fictional complicated case designed to create group discussion around the various strategies utilized during testing, and most importantly a discussion regarding the clinical reasoning behind why clinicians do or do not do certain tests and how they may interpret various results.

Bay Room
2:30 – 3:15A Chronic Problem - How chronic diagnosis gets treated as acute pathology - Dr. Scott McCauley, DPT, ECS


  • Electrodiagnostic impressions carry weight. When referring physicians, don’t understand what something being chronic is, they can treat it as an acute problem not recognizing that those findings may not be the source of the patient’s impairments. As Physical Therapists we have a unique position to understand the context of these electrodiagnostic findings and how it may be appropriate to treat the patient based upon their clinical presentation and not focusing on the findings from an electrodiagnostic study.

Bay Room
3:15 – 4:00Correlating Treatment with Diagnostic Findings - Dr. Jeff Courcier, PT, ECS, FMSK, Owner Courcier Clinic PT and Insight Diagnostics


  • Discussion of common diagnostic pathologies with associated clinical presentations and treatment choices based on those findings.

Bay Room
4:00 – 4:30Closing Ceremonies - Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos, DPT, MD, PhD, DSc, ECS, Founder Hands-On CompaniesBay Room
Who’s speaking

Meet the Speakers

Listed in alphabetically order (last names)

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Richard P. Nielsen, Founding President/CEO Emeritus, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions & Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine

With over four decades as a healthcare provider, clinical preceptor and higher education administrator, Dr. Richard P. Nielsen served as the founding president and CEO of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) from its inception in 1998 until the end of 2022. He is also the founding president and CEO of the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine and retired from this position in 2021. His vision and leadership brought about the creation of both institutions.

President Nielsen, a native of Spanish Fork, Utah, points to the wisdom and encouragement from his single mother he received while growing up. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University in pre-physical therapy and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah in physical therapy, a Master of Science in neural-kinesiology from the University of Washington, and a Doctor of Health Science from the University of St. Augustine with an emphasis in clinical electrophysiology.

Nielsen served in the U.S. Army National Guard for over five years and the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps for over 20 years during the Viet Nam and Persian Gulf conflicts where he was trained and became Board certified in clinical electroneuromyography/electrophysiology. During his time in the Navy, he held several esteemed leadership positions as the Head of Rehabilitation Medicine clinics and in his last assignment as the chief physical therapist for the entire U.S. Navy (responsible for 47 rehabilitation medicine departments across the globe) where he was appointed by the Navy Surgeon General as the physical therapy consultant to U.S. Congress and the Senate, the Surgeon General, the Supreme Court, the Pentagon, and the White House. He received the Navy Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal during his service. He retired with the rank of Commander.

Dr. Nielsen, along with his wife, Jodi, and eldest daughter, Kindee, founded two charitable foundations: Reach the Children and World of Difference (WOD) (worldofdifference.ngo). Since 2013, WOD has partnered with RMU to take graduate students to Kenya and Malawi to work in developing country hospitals and clinics and to provide clinical education to healthcare providers. Dr. Nielsen has summited the highest peak on the African continent (Mt. Kilimanjaro) eight times.

In 2013, the Nielsens received the American Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award for their service in Africa. Dr. Nielsen has received several recognitions in the medical community, including the 2015 Leader of the Year Award from the American Physical Therapy Association and, in 2019, Utah Business Magazine’s Healthcare Hero of the Year Award for healthcare education. He was recognized as Utah Valley Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023 and was named the Pillar of the Valley for 2023 by the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce. He also received the Provo City Mayor’s Exceptional Example Award in 2023 and the 2023 Don Pederson Leadership Award by the Utah Academy of Physician Assistant’s.

“One of the many things that I appreciate about Rick is he really is a person who genuinely wants to make a difference. It’s not about him — he’s not looking for accolades. That’s an incredible gift in our journey,” Jodi Nielsen said.

Dr. Nielsen and Jodi are the parents of five children and have seven grandchildren. They reside in Salem, Utah.

Dr. Mark Brooks

Dr. Brooks has over 25 years of experience as a clinician, administrator, and educator in the field of physical therapy. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kentucky, and completed his doctorate in clinical electrophysiology at Rocky Mountain University in 2005. He is board certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties in both clinical electrophysiology and orthopedics.

Dr. Brooks has worked as a physical therapist in many settings, including outpatient, acute care, home health, and long-term care.

His teaching experience includes the University of Kentucky, University of Indianapolis, Midway College, and Somerset Community College. He was one of the first instructors in Rocky Mountain University’s transitional DPT program, and has also taught numerous continuing medical education courses.

Dr. Brooks is responsible for all clinical education at HODS.

Dr. Beth Carr

Beth Carr attended Slippery Rock University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Adapted Physical Activity and Rehabilitation in 1998. She continued her education at Slippery Rock University, earning her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in 2001.

Beth began her physical therapy career in 2001 at Meadville Medical Center, where she specialized in workplace ergonomics, pediatrics, and wound care. She went on to earn her certification in wound care as a Certified Wound Specialist, CWS, in 2004. She has worked in various settings in Physical Therapy including long-term care, inpatient, and outpatient. Beth is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association, and the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care.

Beth has completed extensive coursework under the nationally recognized Hands-on Diagnostics fellowship program, completing her fellowship in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in the Fall of 2021. She is now performing Musculoskeletal Ultrasound diagnostic testing at West Park Rehab. Beth has also become certified as LSVT BIG clinician for treatment of Parkinson’s patients since 2019.

Dr. Eddie St Clair

Dr. Eddie St Clair

  • 1993 Dekalb College as a PTA,
  • 1999 Georgia State University, BS PT,
  • 2007 Temple University DPT,
  • Board certification as hand specialist in 2009.

Dr. Jeff Courcier

Jeff Courcier PT, ECS, FMSK owner of Courcier Clinic PT and Insight Diagnostics Group has been an Oklahoma PT since 1996 and joined HODS in 2017.

Jeff Courcier owns Courcier Clinic Physical Therapy and Insight Diagnostic Group with his wife, business partner, and fellow PT Melinda. He has 27 yrs of experience in orthopedic therapy with emphasis on Manipulative Therapy.

He is a Board-certified Clinical Electrophysiologist and Fellow in MSKUS Diagnostic Ultrasound with plans to sit for RMSK in November.

Dr. Jonathan Goodman

Dr. Jonathan Goodman

Physical therapist and regional director at Superior Physical therapy.

I treat in outpatient orthopedics while helping improve our processes company wide. I have completed the FMSK and am dry needling certified.

I love spending time with my wife and three kids riding bikes and playing games. I am especially interested in getting people back to what they love to do.

Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos

Dr. Dimitrios Kostopoulos, DPT, MD, PhD, DSc, ECS, is board certified in clinical electrophysiology with over 35 years of clinical experience. He is the co-founder of Hands-On Companies and a Clinical Affiliate Assistant Professor for Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University. He is a past member of SACE (Specialization Academy of Content Experts) for the ABPTS examination board on electrophysiology, and a past elected member of the Executive Committee of the Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology of APTA.

He is the editor of the Diagnostic Section of the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, and the author or co-author of numerous books, articles, and research papers related to his fields of expertise.

Dr. Nancy Mansell

Dr. Mansell completed her undergraduate degree at Penn State and received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the Army/Baylor Program. She served in the Army until 2011 and during her time was deployed to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. Her interest in EDX began in 2013 and with RMU ENMG training and help from many mentors, she earned her ECS in 2016.

Her EDX laboratory is accredited by FELA, and she performs EDX in rural communities on the picturesque Olympic Peninsula in the Puget Sound. She is the Nominating Chair and Education Committee Chair for the EDX SIG, serves as a mentor for AACE and has presented at multiple RMU ENMG Symposiums. She is inspired and appreciative by all that have come before her and strives to serve the EDX community in the years to come.

When not performing EDX, you can find her running in the streets of Seattle (rain or shine).

Dr. Scott McCauley

Scott McCauley, DPT, ECS it’s one of the first graduates from the American Academy of Clinical Electrodiagnosis Residency (AACE). He is now senior faculty for AACE and has his own business, Summit Neurodiagnostics, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Dr. Bart McDonald

Bart McDonald, PT, MPT, ECS, FMSK, is the owner and founder of Superior Physical Therapy. Bart graduated with his Master’s of Physical Therapy from Emory University School of Medicine in 2000.

He opened his first outpatient clinic in 2004 and Superior Physical Therapy has since grown to six clinics in across Southeastern Idaho. After earning his ABPTS certification in Clinical Electrophysiologic Testing (ECS) in 2020, Bart created Diagnostic Solutions, a group that performs electrodiagnostic (EMG) and musculoskeletal ultrasound testing. Diagnostic Solutions performs diagnostic tests for physical therapy clinics, and physicians in the area and has expanding to perform testing inside of orthopedic surgeons’ offices, Fort Hall Tribal Health, and in rural hospitals.

Additionally, he serves as a mentor for MSKUS for Hands-On Diagnostics, serves on the nominating committee ACEWM Neural Musculoskeletal Ultrasound SIG, and is the President of the HODS Business Advisory Board. He is passionate about building the PT profession to become the musculoskeletal primary care providers, accurately finding the true diagnosis for each patient, and changing lives. Bart grew up in Nampa, Idaho, is married and has three children and two grandchildren. When he’s not working, he is spending time with his family, water skiing, or downhill skiing.

Dr. Joe McGilvrey

Dr. Richard McKibben

Dr. McKibben is a physical therapist and clinical electrophysiologist. He received his DSc in clinical electrophysiology from Rocky Mountain University, and his MS in physical therapy from North Georgia College. He is board certified in clinical electrophysiology by ABPTS.

He has completed thousands of electrophysiologic studies, and has logged thousands of hours in peer review and administration for electrophysiologic testing laboratories.

Ongoing research interests include severity in focal/mononeuropathies, retrograde axonal atrophy, the mixed media forearm nerve conduction study, short-segment median motor studies in CTS, and F-wave nomograms.

Dr. McKibben serves as the chair for the APTA clinical electrophysiology practice group, and helped to establish the accreditation program for PTs.

In addition to being on the HODS advisory board, he is also a member of the HODS faculty.

Dr. Daniel Neff

Dr. Neff is currently on the USA Wrestling Medical Staff, giving him the opportunity to treat some of our Olympic wrestlers. He also teaches at the Family Medicine Residency Program at Lancaster General. Neff agrees that teaching the Resident Medical Doctors, “keeps my knowledge base strong and on the cutting edge”.

Neff Physical Therapy specializes in not only athletic injuries but all orthopedic diagnoses as well as low back/neck pain and vertigo. Neff recognizes “If someone is going to travel 2½ hours to see me, they expect results and we work very hard to be the best.” Neff Physical Therapy is a Direct Access clinic where you can schedule an appointment without a referral.

Dr. Christina Panetta

Dr. Mohini Rawat

Dr. Mohini Rawat is co-founder and president of American Academy of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound. She is Fellowship director of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound program at Hands-On Diagnostics. She is board certified in Clinical Electrophysiology and Orthopaedics by American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and in Musculoskeletal Sonography by Alliance for Physician Certification and Advancement.

She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from MGH institute of Health Professions in Boston and her Masters in Biokinesiology from the University of Southern California. She is faculty for courses in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and clinical electrophysiology in PT program and other continuing education courses. She has mentored hundreds of clinicians and has reviewed thousands of ultrasound studies. Dr. Rawat is a contributing author and wrote chapters on imaging in books. She has published articles and presented numerous musculoskeletal ultrasound courses, webinars and lectures in multiple professional conferences and organizations including the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine and American Academy of Orthopaedics Surgeons annual meeting. She is the chair of the Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology and Wound Management Neuromusculoskeletal Ultrasound Special Interest Group and holds other elected positions in American Physical Therapy Association.

She is editor of a textbook in musculoskeletal ultrasound.

Garrett Salpeter

Known as “The Health Engineer,” Garrett has taken his training in Engineering and Neuroscience and used it to create NeuFit. He first became passionate about the human body during his time as a hockey player, when he had numerous injuries and was frustrated with the traditional ways of addressing them.

After he was introduced to functional neurology and used that to help himself avoid a surgery, he was elated to know that there was a better way and felt called to share this neurology-based approach with the world.

By combining next-generation electrical stimulation and protocols from functional neurology, NeuFit has helped people accelerate recovery from all sorts of injuries and surgeries and help people reach their fitness goals faster than they ever thought possible. The work has helped everyone from professional athletes looking to get back on the field to paralyzed people working to move again.

Now practitioners all over the country are adding the technology into their medical practices, physical therapy clinics, and fitness facilities. He is also the best selling author of the book “The NeuFit Method.”

Dr. Korry Wheeler

Korry Wheeler was born and raised in Western Wyoming, where he continues to live with his wife and three children. His father was the first physical therapist in the area and built a thriving practice that allowed Korry to be an active part of the profession from his youth. Korry served a religious mission with his church in Fresno, California before attending and graduating from Utah State University in Biology.

Korry worked his way through college by managing a local golf course before receiving his pro status where he taught others how to love and play the game. While managing his father’s physical therapy practice, Korry was accepted to Rocky Mountain University of Health Sciences. He graduated with a DPT in 2014. He was able to return to his hometown to practice in an outpatient facility for four years before moving to inpatient therapy. Shortly after graduating, Korry began performing EMG/NCS testing and eventually graduated from the HODS/AACE residency before becoming a board-certified clinic electrophysiology specialist in 2022. He has recently joined HODS/AACE as a mentor for EMG/NCS certification and residency students.

Korry currently works with Mountain West Orthopedics, providing EMG/NCS testing for patients in Star Valley, Wyoming and is working to expand testing throughout Southwestern Wyoming. He played a significant role in helping to ensure that physical therapists were able to continue providing EMG/NCS testing in Wyoming. He advocates for advancing the autonomy of the physical therapy profession and has served on the 2022 practice analysis task force and an item writer for the FSBPT.

In his spare time, Korry enjoys fishing, golfing, and teaching.

I am here to hack!

189 USD per night

The Venue - Sheraton Sand Key Resort

The venue will be again the beautiful Sheraton Sand Key Resort on the amazing Clearwater beach! We look forward to seeing you for an unforgettable event!

Address: 1160 Gulf Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767

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Please note that the exclusive pricing ends on August 23, 2023.

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